First, while we already know that Simon Pegghas a cameo in ‘The Force Awakens,’ it would seem his involvement went beyond just popping up in his pal J.J. Abrams‘s movie — he was part of the brain trust in shaping the story. “He was a sounding board,” the director told EW. “He would drop by the set because he wanted to, and when he could, he would help… We could talk about things, and he was a perfect combination of incredibly smart screenwriter, fan of the series, critical fan of the series, and friend of mine – but not just blindly supportive. He was an honest, critical friend. And he wasn’t so close to it that he became immune to things. He would come in with fresh eyes and very smart ideas. He’s one of a handful of people along the way that has been really priceless.”

Interesting stuff, and probably a big dose of fun for self-professed geek Simon Pegg, who is currently nerding out as the co-writer on “Star Trek 3” as well. He is definitely living the ultimate fanboy fantasy.

Meanwhile, legendary poster artist Drew Struzan‘s work for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has been captured in the wild. JoBlo snagged the picture of the illustrated one sheet and it’s fine, but dare I say it, the artist has done better work for the franchise in the past.